DURBAN – Kaizer Chiefs may have to get rid of one of their overseas players to avoid breaking PSL rules.
Amakhosi recently acquired Lazarous Kambole (Zambia), Samir Nurkovi (Serbia) and James Kotei (Ghana). They already have four overseas players in their squad - Aro “Dax” Andrianarimanana (Madagascar), Teenage Hadebe (Zimbabwe), Leonardo Castro (Colombia) and Daniel Akpeyi (Nigeria).
Zimbabweans Willard Katsande and Khama Billiat are registered as South African because they have spent more than five years in SA.
According to PSL rules a team can register five overseas players. Chiefs have seven foreign players. Castro has been placed on the transfer list, which means they have to cut ties with another foreign player.
Khama Billiat is registered as South African because he has spent more than five years in SA. Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Chiefs communications manager Vina Maphosa said the club is still discussing the foreign quota.
“We are still working on the matter. We haven’t made any comments yet. But it is standard that if you’ve reached the quota then maybe you have to release other players. You have to do this and that but no pronouncement has been made at this stage,” Maphosa responded.
Castro is set to leave if he finds another club, which shouldn’t be a problem for a player of his stature. But even if he does leave the club, Chiefs still have to get rid of another foreign player.
Andrianarimanana started to find his groove towards the end of last season and is unlikely to be sold. He is also doing well with Madagascar at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Akpeyi struggled in his first few months at Chiefs, but has done a decent job for Nigeria at Afcon.
Hadebe is the likely candidate for axing. He failed to deliver eye-catching performances on a consistent basis last season. Not that he was to blame for Amakhosi’s defensive woes, but he certainly did not deliver anything special to avoid being sold.